Freak!
by Racha900
Summary: Tony Stark is special. Just how special you may ask? Well, for one, he's a mutant. Follow Tony as he grows and tries to deal with his powers, as they follow him into adulthood.


~"Freak"~

It all started when he was 2.

Little Tony Stark, son of Maria and Howard Stark, was sitting in his new bed; the one shaped like a racecar that his father had bought him after deeming the boy "Too old to sleep in a crib". The little boy lay on his back, bright brown eyes staring at the ceiling, where his mother's colorfully vivid paintings of giraffes and elephants were. He stared at the animals with wonder, wanting to reach out and touch them. Tony smiled when his imagination took hold and the little animals leapt from the ceiling and pranced down to him in a shimmering blue hue.

He giggled happily and reached out to touch the creatures, but they just disappeared when he touched them. Then they would spiral in the air and regain their sparkling shape, keeping him company. His chest felt warm and tingly when it happened, and he never knew why. When he began to get tired, Tony watched as the animals would float back up to the ceiling and take their place in the painting, waving a sad good-bye to them, along with the warm feeling in his chest.

Suddenly, his door slammed open, frightening the boy. Howard walked in with an angry look on his face as he glared at the ground. Tony watched as his father stumbled into the room, mumbling incoherently as he made his way to his son's dresser. "Daddy?" Tony squeaked, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists. Daddy never came into his room, only mama and Jarvis, so Tony was happy to see his dad, even in this state.

"What, Anthony…" Howard said, rubbing his head with the bottle. "Wait- Anthony?" the man said again, turning to face his son. "What are- FUCK." He cursed, turning on his heel. "Wrong god damned room." He mumbled, going to the door. Tony frowned when his dad went to leave, reaching out and giving a whimper. "Daddy-" he was cut off by the door slamming shut.

Tony frowned and looked to his Captain America blanket, his favorite superhero and smiled. He lied down and snuggled into his stuffed bear, closing his eyes. "It's ok Captain. Daddy's just busy…" he told the toy. Tony sighed and drifted to sleep, happily cuddling his toy.

* * *

Tony soon grew into a smart, if not genius, hyperactive little boy. It wasn't until he was nearly 4 that the strange occurrence happened again.

He had been sitting in the library reading a book over electrical currents when his mother walked in. "Anthony, your father wants to see you in the lab." She told him with a smile. "He wants your help." The woman said. Tony smiled and closed the book, running over to his mother.

Maria was a fairly tall woman with long, curly, chocolate-brown hair, much like Tony's. Her skin was soft and dark, with smooth curves and a thin frame. Her voice was soft and gentle, with a feint Italian accent that proved her ancestry. She smiled and patted the boy's back gently, motioning for him to go. "Don't keep him waiting." She said as Tony ran happily down the hall.

Tony smiled as he ran, looking behind him at the library and his mother standing in the doorway. When he looked back in front of him it was just in time to slam into a pair of men's legs, knocking him on his butt. "Terribly sorry, Anthony." A voice said, friendly with a British accent. Tony smiled and stood up, hugging the legs. "It's ok Jarvis. It was my fault." He said, smiling at the man.

Out of all of the servants in the house, Edwin Jarvis had always been Tony's favorite. Whenever he was bored and asked the staff if they would play, everyone would refuse. Except for Jarvis. He was always happy to play with him, and would always listen when Tony told him about his dreams.

Jarvis nodded and smiled, returning to his work as Tony ran down the hall and opened the door to the lab cautiously, for fear of interrupting his father's work. The boy made his way down some stairs and into the main room, where papers and blueprints adorned the walls. Tony heard some muttering and looked to see Howard sitting at his desk, his hair disheveled, sweat beading his brow.

"Daddy?" Tony asked as he shuffled his feet. Howard grumbled and stood, his chair screeching on the concrete floor. He snapped his fingers and pointed beside him, still staring at the papers on his desk. Tony ran over, trying to hide his excitement. "Mama told me you wanted me to help you." He said, looking up at his father's face. Howard said nothing, staring at the papers. Tony peered over the desk and saw that his father was looking at his journal, where he drew pictures of his dreams and wrote about when the blue animals were around.

Tony was so deep in thought he nearly didn't hear his name being called. "Anthony!" Howard yelled, nudging the boy. "What are these?" he asked, picking up the journal and bringing it to the boy's face. Tony stared at the page, a picture of a little blue giraffe drawn in crayon along with the blue sparkles that always accompanied the animals. "It- It's a giraffe." He replied as the journal was pulled away.

"I can _see_ that. Why is it BLUE?" Howard asked, flipping through the book. "Twinkling little animals?" he mumbled, reading Tony's handwriting. 'Hello, Journal. I still see the lights, but lately numbers have been being there instead of animals.' Tony had written, with backwards e's and a misspelling of the word 'animals'. Howard's eyes narrowed, and he closed the book quickly and tossed it onto the table.

The man sighed and rubbed his eyes, bending over to grab a bottle of scotch. "I want you to put your brain to good use. No more of this-" he tapped the leather covering of the journal, engraved with Tony's name on it. "-Whatever this is. You're going to start designing weapons." He ordered, handing the boy a roll of blueprint paper. "Use this. I'd better see a new weapon by the end of the week." He said, taking a swig from his bottle. "That gives you three days, Anthony." Howard told him, shooing him away.

Tony looked to the paper, only ever having seen his father's designs on them. He then looked to the journal, wanting to take what was rightfully his. He stared at it and then to his father, who was chugging the scotch bottle. When Tony looked back to the desk, the book was gone and there was a warm feeling receding in his chest. He stared with wide eyes and then looked to the paper he had, the journal resting on top. Tony gave the book a confused look and walked out of the lab, up the stairs and down the hallway leading to his room.

* * *

As Tony grew older, the blue dust that had always been around was something only he could see. He learned that when he touched something that ran on electricity, the item would flicker, and his body would feel stronger. He also learned that no one else had this ability, a lesson he learned the hard way after trying to get his mother to feel better by giving her the blender from downstairs.

When he was 7, Tony built his first circuit board out of scraps he had found in his father's workshop. He had used some of the energy from the outlet on the wall and put it into the board, resulting in the object exploding from too much power. His father had been upset with him after that, showing how much by the bloody mess he made on the boy's back with a whip. Tony had been sore for weeks afterward, with Jarvis caring for him in his room. He learned then not to upset his father.

As he grew older, Tony's mind became greater, more advanced than anything anyone had ever seen for his age. His father, however, spiraled downward into madness, obsessed with finding the long lost Captain America. He became increasingly violent, taking his aggression out on Tony, and by the time he was 9, the boy had scars that would last for years.

One day, Tony had had enough. It was his 11th birthday when it happened. Jarvis had been on his yearly vacation, leaving Tony to fend for himself against his father. The sky was dark with rain clouds, and Tony stared out the window of his bedroom as the drops fell, pattering on the glass. The boy flinched as he heard glass crashing below him, along with the increasingly loud footsteps. He shook in fear as his door handle wiggled, jumping underneath his bed.

His bedroom was dark, and he saw from under the bed as the door opened, along with the shadow of two feet. They stumbled into the room, and Tony flinched when a bottle was dropped, shattering on the floor. Howard grunted above him, looking for him. "Anthony!" he growled, looking around. Tony knew his father would be angry that he didn't answer, and that he'd be punished later, but he couldn't face the man right then.

After about 10 minutes of wandering around the boy's room, Howard mumbled some curses and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Tony let out a breath he had been holding, waiting a few seconds before climbing out from underneath the bed. He ran to his closet and pulled out his suitcase, the one Jarvis had given him to play with, and stuffed some clothes in it. He ran to his bed and grabbed his teddy bear, who was missing an eye and whose Captain America suit was ripped, and stuffed it into the case. He then ran to his dresser and pulled out his notebook, setting it inside the case as well. Tony then did a once-over, looking to see if he had missed anything. He gasped and ran to his desk, grabbing a picture of him and Jarvis from when he was 5, and put it in his pocket.

Tony then clasped the suitcase closed, lifting it up with a grunt. He walked over to his window and lifted it up, the rainy air smell filling his room. It was calming, making Tony even surer of what he wanted to do. He grabbed his suitcase and dragged it to the window, setting it on top. The boy dropped the suitcase onto the fire escape, climbing out of the window himself afterwards. He took one last glance at his room, and shut the window.

The fire escape was old and white, and at the back of the mansion to hide from public view. Tony climbed down, step by step, until he reached the bottom, hair soaked and clothes dripping. His shoes squished in the mud, and lightning flashed in the sky. A normal child would be scared of the electricity, but Tony felt empowered by it. He did flinch, however, at the thunder that followed. The kid genius made his way around the house and to the front yard, rain drenching the sidewalks and grass. Tony sniffled; pulling out the umbrella he had grabbed and opened it. He held it over him and his suitcase, walking down the sidewalk and away from the house.

It wasn't long before the rain began to die down to sprinkles, allowing Tony to put away his umbrella. He took a deep breath and took in the smell of the rain, something he had always enjoyed. He remembered before his mother had left, when he was very young, that they would always sit in the window and watch as raindrops hit the window, sliding down and making tracks on the window. The boy teared up, remembering the day his father had hit her.

* * *

He had only been 8 when it happened, and he remembered it vividly. Tony had been sitting in the living room drawing when his mother had set down a plate of crackers beside him. He smiled at her and took some, eating them happily. She had smiled at him so lovingly, so full of pride, the way only a mother could. It had been interrupted when his father came barreling, shouting something about mutants. Tony hadn't ever known what they were, only that his father didn't like them. He had come into the living room and threw a bottle, sending it crashing into the wall. Maria stood up defensively in front of Tony, chest puffed out with courage. "Howard! Your drunk! Go down to the lab before you hurt him!" she had said, staring the drunk man down.

Howard glared at her, turning around. Tony held his bear tightly, watching his father. It was sudden; he turned and brought his hand up across her face, the loud smack echoing in the room. Tony gasped, watching as his mother turned in pain, holding her cheek. Tears were in the corners of her eyes, and anger flooded her features. Maria turned back to him, fury in her eyes as she shouted at the man. "YOU DRUNKEN BASTARD! You're going to end up hurting my child, OR WORSE, YOU'LL END UP KILLING THE ONE THING I CARE ABOUT MOST IN THIS WORLD! You need to quit chasing fantasies and be HERE. WITH YOUR FAMILY. Steve is LONG GONE Howard, and he's NOT COMING BACK!" She screamed, her face red with anger.

Howard was left speechless, staring at the woman. His features hardened, and he grabbed her arms, shoving her aside. "The one thing you care about, HUH?!" he yelled back, picking Tony up by his arm. The boy yelped in pain, trying to grab at his arm, pain burning his muscles. "WELL WHAT IF I JUST GET RID OF HIM NOW, HUH?" Howard shouted, shaking Tony violently. Maria screamed, lunging for the boy. She tackled the man, taking him to the ground. "Run, Tony! Run!" she had screamed, her voice echoing in his head, the fear in her eyes as she told him to run.

* * *

Tony shook the memory from his head, his mom's words still echoing in his head. The boy was so lost in thought that he ran straight into someone. "-OOF" he grunted as he fell backward onto his suitcase.

The boy looked up to see a man with wavy dark brown hair that seemed fluffed up and ended in a curl on his brow. He had a friendly smile and bright blue eyes that seemed to stare into Tony's every soul. The man was clean-shaven and had a curious look on his face as he stared at the boy he had knocked down.

"So sorry." He said, holding out his large soft hand for the boy to help him up. The man had a British accent and a warm voice. Tony stared at him reluctantly and accepted the help, standing up with a grunt. He mumbled a thank-you and picked up his suitcase. "If you don't mind my asking, where are you running away to?" the man asked, a small smile on his face. Tony raised his eyebrow, wondering how the man had known he was running away, or who this man was in general. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Charles Xavier." The man said, crouching down so he was eyelevel with the 8-year-old.

"How do you know I'm running away?" Tony asked, clutching his suitcase handle tighter. He wasn't supposed to trust strangers, even if they seemed nice.

"That's good advice. You shouldn't talk to strangers." Charles said with a smile. Tony's eyes widened and he took a step back, mouth opening a little in confusion. The 8-year-old wondered what just happened, and again Charles answered his unspoken question. "I can read your mind." He said simply, as if talking about the weather.

"How did you-" Tony was cut off by the man putting up a finger. "I'm a psychic. Do you know what that is?" he asked, clasping his hands together in a way that made him look like a professor. Ton thought for a moment. Wasn't a psychic a person who could read minds? "Exactly correct." Charles said with a smile. "But I can also levitate things with my mind." He told the boy. Tony smiled, looking at the man like he was a superhero. "And I know you have powers too." He whispered, coming closer to the boy. "You see, little blue lights?" he asked. Tony nodded, shuffling in his place. "Have you ever tried making the lights into something bigger?" Charles asked. Tony shook his head.

"Well, if you come with me I can show you how. I'm going to start a school for special people like you, where you can learn to control your powers and put them to good use." He said as he stood, wiping the dust from his pants. Charles smiled and held out his hand as an invitation to the boy. Tony looked at it, unsure of what to do. "I won't make you come with me if you don't want to, Anthony." Charles told him. The boy stared at his hands for a moment longer and then grabbed it, holding on firmly as if he'd just disappear.

"Alright then. Let's go to my school, alright?" Charles said, grabbing Tony's suitcase. The man then walked down the sidewalk, holding Tony's hand as they turned the corner. The pair walked to the street edge and climbed into a car driven by a young man with greasy black hair that stuck out at its sides. He had sideburns that nearly went down to his chin, making them more like mutton chops, and held a cigar between his teeth. The man's eyes were a deep brown and looked like he had years behind him, even though he looked only in his mid 30's.

The man didn't say a word as he climbed into the backseat, simply sniffing the air as smirking a bit. Tony bucked his seatbelt and Charles set his suitcase on the seat beside him, smiling at him as he closed the door. Charles then climbed into the front with the other man and they set off to his school.

* * *

Soon they pulled up to a large iron gate, decorated with intricate metal décor. There was wording made of iron that spelled something at the top, but Tony didn't get a chance to read it before they drove past the gate. The car rumbled as they drove up to a huge mansion, even larger than Tony's own home had been. It was a towering three-story building, with a slanted tile covered roof. Its walls were a pristine white with neatly trimmed hedges lining the house. Shrubs cut into small twirls sat on each side of the entrance, a large redwood door that sat underneath a large marble archway. Marble railing surrounded the steps that led to the door, with large windows that surrounded it.

Tony stood in awe of the place, having gotten out of the car to look at the building. His bag was thrown half-hazardly over his shoulder as he followed Charles and the growling man up the steps. "This-" Charles said, gesturing with his hands around him. "Is my institute. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, a place for children with special abilities can be themselves. Many of the kids here have run away from home, much like yourself." The man told him with a smile. Charles opened the double doors and Tony watched as 4 kids stepped out with smiles on their faces.

The first, a young girl with bright red hair walked out and waved. "Hi! My name is Jean. I'm a telepath like Professor Xavier!" she said cheerfully, touching her fingers to her temples as she stared at a stock on the steps. The rock floated for a moment then dropped, and the girl was left nearly out of breath. Tony took notice of her, her rosy cheeks and bright green eyes that seemed to show nothing but happiness. She smiled and stepped back into line.

Next, a young boy with dark red goggles, the kind that looked like something you'd see in a sci-fi movie, stepped up. "My name is Scott. I can shoot lasers outta my eyes!" the boy said proudly, staring at the rock Jean had picked up. He stared at the rock for a moment before a red beam came out of his goggles, splitting the pebble in two. "I did it!" he said happily, jumping up and down. Tony saw that the boy was shorter than the rest of the kids, and his clothed didn't seem to fit him just right. Scott stepped back into line, puffing out his chest.

Another girl was next, this one being a little older than the other two. Her hair was a a pristine white, and flowed down to her shoulders. She stepped out and smiled slightly, and Tony could tell she was a shy one. "My name is Ororo, and- and I can control the weather." She said, her voice soft. Ororo stuck out her hands and closed her eyes, a small cloud forming in from of her. She opened them and the cloud began to disappear. The girl stepped back into line with a small smile.

The last kid in line was a young boy with hair that came down to his ears. He stepped forward and smiled, turning a dial on the watch that was around his wrist. The boy seemed to change like a channel on the TV, going from a peachy skin color, to a blue one. Tony's eyes went wide and a smile spread across his face at the sight. "My name is Kurt…" he said, looking up with a scared expression, only to have it melt away at the sight of Tony's smile. "-and I can teleport." He finished, closing his eyes and disappearing into a puff of smoke. Tony felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see the boy behind him, smiling. Kurt walked back to the line, and Tony noticed that he not only had only two toes, but also a tail! "Cool…" he said, staring at him. Kurt turned the dial on his watch and his appearance changed back to what it was before.

"Well, this is all of the students we have right now, but that can include you, if you want Anthony." Charles said, his hands folded as he stood beside the kids. Tony bit his lip, unsure if he should join. Then, he made a decision.

"Yes."


End file.
